Ken Joseph Jr. - The Japan Times

May 01, 2024

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Ken Joseph Jr.

For Ken Joseph Jr.'s latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Sep 7, 2004

Scammers, counseling, health costs

Counseling Is there such thing as counseling in Japan? I have been married for 7 years and am having problems, yet my wife refuses to even discuss it. Is there some place we or I could go for help?

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Aug 3, 2004

Health costs, counselling, and new jobs

Health Insurance I have been in Japan over a year and I have enrolled in Japanese Health Insurance. My first three monthly premiums cost 1,500 yen, but I have since been re-assessed and now my monthly premiums have jumped to a whopping 57,000 yen a month.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Jul 6, 2004

Healthcare overseas and pension cares

Overseas health I have heard that under some circumstances it is possible to use National Health Insurance Coverage outside of Japan. Is this true? If so, under what circumstances?

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Jun 22, 2004

Visa cards, pensions and thesaurus info

Visa card Is it possible to get a zero annual fee Visa or Mastercard from a Japanese bank? It is quite common in the U.S., but I have never heard of or seen one here.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

May 25, 2004

More pension information and hiking

Pension I I am a foreign national living and working in Japan. I have heard that when I leave Japan, I will be reimbursed for my contributions to the national insurance , unemployment insurance or national pension plans.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

May 11, 2004

Insurance, pension cash and divorce

Health Insurance I have been in Japan for almost 6 years and I have paid into the social health insurance system during my 3 years on the JET Program. After I had finished JET, I dropped out of the system and have not enrolled in the national health insurance system.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Apr 27, 2004

Car checks and new passport rules

Vehicle inspection Do you know of anyone who could give me information on the laws and procedure regarding car inspections? I need to obtain Japanese inspection and a registration number plate for a recently imported car.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Apr 13, 2004

Divorce and insurance policies

Divorce I was married for two years to a Japanese woman (no children). We separated almost one year ago. I recently asked my wife for a divorce, but she wants financial compensation before she will agree.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Mar 30, 2004

Pensions and claiming back farewell cash

JET pensions I am working as a prefectural employee and am married to a Japanese national. I am aiming to amass the minimum 22 years of pension contributions necessary to draw a pension in Japan.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Mar 16, 2004

Citizenship and health insurance

Citizenship I am a holder of a valid Philippines passport and have permanent residence status here in Japan, where I have lived for at least 18 years. I would like to apply for citizenship.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Mar 2, 2004

Getting a visa and finding a good lawyer

Japanese visas Dear Lifelines; How do I apply for a visa for Japan?

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Feb 17, 2004

Posting food to the U.S. and big clothes

U.S. posting rules Dear Lifelines; Is there some new prohibition against sending Japanese foods to the U.S.?

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Feb 3, 2004

Tenant rights and health care for foreigners

Tenant rights Two years ago, I rented an apartment through a realtor, and paid lots of money -- two-months deposit, one-month thank you money, and realtor fee -- thinking that after two years, we could renew our contract and somehow use the place longer to compensate for the initial payments we had made.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Jan 20, 2004

Planning for your financial future in Japan

I am looking for some pension and retirement information in Japan. Even though I am only 34, I am thinking about the financial situation in the future. I am Swiss, but have spent the past few years abroad, so I have to count on foreign retirement support.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Dec 16, 2003

Computers trains and sewing tips

Driving and computers I seem to remember that some time ago you gave information about driving lessons in English. I wonder if you could let me have the details as I neglected to note them down at the time.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Dec 2, 2003

Green cards, tenant rights and sewing

Immigration worry Dear Lifelines; My wife and I are returning in January from the U.S.; I am a U.S. citizen and she is Japanese. We had lived in Japan together for 7 years prior to my 2 year U.S. assignment. (I am a regular employee of the Japan branch office.)

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Nov 18, 2003

Frustration with ISPs and keitai spam

ISP trouble On the subject of ISPs, I also was billed about 100,000 yen by my Internet Service Provider. The salesperson explained the contract to me in broken English as I cannot read Japanese. I was told I had to sign now, I couldn't take the contract away, have someone explain it to me and bring it back later.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Nov 4, 2003

Pension cash payments and house-buying

Nenkin Dear Lifelines; I am American, my late husband was Japanese. We lived in Japan throughout our marriage, but for various reasons it became prudent to bring the kids back to the U.S. after he died at age 42.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Oct 21, 2003

Internet bill nightmare, pension payouts, and singing groups

Internet connection I have a problem that concerns with my Internet Service Provider. I was billed for over 100,000 yen for Internet connection and international calls. Most of the bill came from international phone calls, which I thought were free.

COMMUNITY / How-tos / LIFELINES

Sep 2, 2003

Baby names, death tax and crackers

Greetings from Baghdad, where it's 120 in the shade, the food is great, the people the best and electricity a dim memory. Oh, for the goodness of Japan.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Leading Japan’s sustainability from Tokyo

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